


The Story of Us

by insaneshadowfangirl



Series: Defying Gravity [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Deleted Scenes, Gen, Original Chapter 2 of Counting Stars, Past Child Abuse, alternate beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-09 00:37:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6882280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insaneshadowfangirl/pseuds/insaneshadowfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was supposed to be the original chapter 2, which, as I've said several times, I rewrote entirely because of a single comment. I rather like the direction I took instead of the more cookie-cutter approach this one would've brought, but I figured I would show you guys anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Story of Us

_Grillby was a pragmatic monster. He prided himself on his professionalism, on his bar being a clean, safe, family-friendly environment where anyone (even a human) could come, eat, and not be judged._

 

 _Because of this attitude, Grillby's had become a hotspot for rumors and news over the decades. Grillby knew far more about the inhabitants of Snowdin than most people thought._  
  
So Grillby wasn't all that surprised when Dogeressa came to him, asking if he knew anything about the 'things' that had been knocking over trash cans at night all over town. Grillby himself had been visited by them once or twice, but hadn't thought much of it until he heard the stories... Some people thought they'd seen a human, others swore it was a bird. There was talk of skeleton dogs -- beasts, really -- and tiny children. Some people were saying there were two, or three, but that they always ran at the first sign someone was watching.   
  
No one could agree on anything.   
  
He explained this, and Dogeressa nodded and said, "Those are the reports we've been getting, too. The townsfolk are starting to panic, especially with the supposed human involved. They're starting to talk about laying traps, catching whatever it is themselves."  
  
"If I see anything, I'll let you know."  
  
"Thanks, Grillby."   
  
And so it was that that night, Grillby set up a stakeout. He put a significant amount of food in the trash: Cooked, uncooked, packaged... He made sure it had extra spices added to tantalize the trash raiders further. And he added a warm blanket that he made sure to scorch the corner of so it would be less suspicious.   
  
Then he set up an area he could watch from without his glow giving him away. Just before dark, he sat down in his makeshift hideaway and waited.   
  
It was hours before he heard them.

 

_It was a soft rummaging noise that alarmed him, so quiet he almost missed it._

 

 _A slight glow caught his eyes, like his flame but considerably weaker. He positioned himself to get a better view._  
  
His trash can was lying on its side, and he could see small, bare, human-like feet poking out as their owner dug through the bag as quietly as possible.   
  
Beside the can, a small bone... Beast... Perhaps the size of a large house cat and wearing a dirty, oversized hoodie paced silently, its head swinging back and forth. 

 

_Tied in place on the beast's back with a long, dirty red scarf was a tiny little skeleton child bundled up in several blankets and seemingly sound asleep._

 

_The bone beast looked over at the one in the trash can for a moment._

 

_They backed out and produced the blanket and a bunch of food, most of which was in boxes._

 

_The animal let out an annoyed snuffling sound._

 

_Grillby stared at what seemed to be a young human girl with long, tangled brown hair that had softly glowing red and yellow feathers interspersed in it. She crossed her arms at the beast and raised an eyebrow._

 

_The skeleton rolled its eyes and gestured away, as if to say they needed to leave._

 

_The girl looked even more irritated, and to Grillby's shock, two dark shapes, impossible to make out in the darkness, extended behind her. They were pulled back just as quickly, though, as though her irritation had caused an involuntary response._

 

_The skeleton grumbled but seemed to agree to appease the child. Within a few moments it transformed into a small child-like skeleton._

 

 _The scarf tying the other skeleton child had shifted, but it was tied in such a way that, even with the strange, impossible shape shifting, the young one was still safely swaddled and secured, now hanging on the hoodie-wearing child's back._  
  
"we really should just go, frisk."

 

_'Frisk' gestured to all the food and supplies._

_  
"but we already have enough."_

 

 _She pointed upward, then gave an affected shiver._  
  
"... it's not gonna snow again."  
  
A flat look, then a simple point in the direction of the swaddled child.

 

_"... fine, let's just hurry. it looks like it might get light soon."_

 

_'Frisk' nodded and began piling food into the blanket, handing it to the older boy before diving back in and removing more food._

 

_The skeleton looked around warily._

 

_It only took about five more minutes for Frisk to pull out everything she could carry, then the human(?) turned back to the skeleton._

 

_"ready to go now?"_

 

_She nodded, rolling her eyes._

 

_"then come on!"_

 

 _He marched imperiously off and she glared at his back for a moment before suddenly the shapes were back, extending from behind her and now they were twice as large... Wait..._  
  
She had wings. Huge wings.   
  
The girl took a running start then leapt OVER her companion, flapping frantically to get airborne with the load in her arms.

 

_"see you at the cave, sis. don't be seen, please."_

 

_There was no response from the silent girl, but the skeleton didn't seem to be concerned._

 

_Within a few minutes Grillby couldn't see either. Quietly, he exited his hideout, then headed home. That had been interesting._

 

_1234567890_

 

_"sis. we're out of food again."_

 

 _Rather than answer verbally, the girl known as W.D.G-3 F (or just Frisk) looked out at the mouth of the tiny little cave, then 'spoke' in a manner that was completely silent and still but easily understood by both of her skeletal companions. 'We can't go out in that, Sans.'_  
  
'That' was the howling blizzard that roared just outside, loud and cold and wet and dangerous. Frisk, who was lying on the floor of the cave, one wing draped protectively over their smallest sibling, shivered and pulled him closer. They had several scraps of cloth, even a couple of pilfered blankets, but without question Sans gave most of them to Papyrus and the rest to her.   
  
Sans was always doing that. Barely eating, giving Papyrus almost all of their food, then the rest to her, keeping only a few scraps for himself. She tried to argue, but he wouldn't budge. Short of force-feeding him, which she would never stoop to, Frisk knew that there was nothing she could do.   
  
Sans's white pupils locked on her. "frisk, it's been almost six days. we've been out for three. i don't think the snow is gonna stop anytime soon. i can hear your stomach growling, and pap is hungry, too. please, stay with him while i get us some food?"

 

_'Sans! You'll dust yourself if you try to go out in this!'_

 

_"i'll be fine." Sans had a habit of responding verbally to her silent mental speech._

 

_'Saaaans! Please!'_

 

_"frisk..."_

 

_'Just one more day!' She begged. 'One day! Wait one day, and see if the snow stops. How will I take care of Pap without your help?'_

 

 _He stopped but didn't turn around._  
  
'I need you. We both do! Please don't go out there... Please...' She let out a desperate-sounding whimper. 

 

_It was the noise that made Sans cave, it sounded so needy and broken, and came from the one who did her best to be both a good little sister and a good big sister._

 

_"... fine. i'll stay. but only one more day!"_

 

_'Thank you... Now come here and get warm. You don't need to do watch tonight, I don't think anything will come after us in this cold.'_

 

_"alright..."_

 

_The small skeleton hunched down, crawled into the small space that Papyrus and Frisk were in and settled beside Papyrus. Their cave was very small, with a fairly wide opening, that got smaller as you got deeper in. The back wall was barely big enough for the three of them to huddle together in._

 

 _Heck, it was smaller than their cell back at the lab._  
  
"SIS? BROTHER? STORY?" The tiny child in the middle said suddenly.

 

_"sure thing, pap." Sans glanced at Frisk. She was always better at starting a tale, though the pair tended to trade off lines._

 

 _Frisk began petting his skull absently, before opening her mouth and actually speaking. Both Sans and Papyrus listened raptly, as hearing her voice willingly was a rare treat nowadays. Frisk hated to talk, and would normally use their relatively new mental connection and over-exaggerated gestures to get her point across._  
  
"Once upon a time there were three young monsters..." Her voice was sweet, and had a singsong quality to it. Sans honestly didn't know why she didn't like it. It made him feel nice to hear it.  
  
"they lived with a very bad man."  
  
"And they loved each other very much." This was a story they must've told Papyrus hundreds of times, but their youngest sibling didn't seem to mind hearing it over and over again. He loved happy endings, and there weren't a lot of them available to the trio. 

 

 _"one day the bad man got tired of hurting them, so he just left them in their room."_  
  
"They had plenty to eat, and all the time in the world to play with each other, and sleep whenever they wanted..." Frisk smirked in Sans's direction, and he rolled his eyes. 

 

_Frisk bopped Papyrus on the nosehole and Sans said, "and they all lived happily ever after."_

 

_Sans carefully picked up the little skeleton, setting Papyrus on his lap so they could snuggle up closer. The toddler clapped happily and curled into Sans's jacket._

 

_Frisk chuckled. 'C'mon, let's get some sleep.'_

 

_Sans nodded and the three of them curled up together. They were cold, wet, dirty, hungry, and exausted, but they couldn't help but revel in their newfound freedom. They used to think that that story for Papyrus would be the best possible outcome for them._

 

_Now they had a chance to be happy._

 

_1234567890_

 

 _Grillby found himself incredibly worried about the three kids when the snowstorm hit. It lasted four days, and though he left food and thermoses of warm hot cocoa outside the bar every night of it, there was no sign of them._  
  
So he set up another stakeout the night it ended. Sure enough, after a couple hours, the hoodie-wearing one walked up in his puppy-like form, looking back and forth uneasily, alert for any sign of a threat. When his eyes fell on the basket Grillby had left, three thermoses and warm soup in a travel bowl, plenty for three, he changed back, with Grillby watching the transformation fascinatedly, and stared.   
  
Grillby very slowly moved out of the shadows, hands up and not making any threatening or sudden moves. His natural light caught the boy's eyes, and wide white pupils were suddenly locked on him.   
  
"Don't be afraid, child. I won't hurt you. I just thought you might like something more sustaining than what you've been finding in my trash." Grillby said gently.   
  
He was unsurprised when the boy turned and bolted. Grillby was a patient sort. He would keep trying, and hopefully the boy and his companions would grow to trust him.   
  
Over the next week, he left a basket of food out every night before he left the bar. And every morning, he would come back to find it untouched, but with small footprints getting closer and closer to it as if their maker was afraid it would bite him. Eight days after his encounter, the prints actually reached the basket, but it was still untouched. For the next several days, there were marks that indicated he was pacing beside it, uncertain what to do, and it broke Grillby's heart to think that this child, these children, had to be so distrustful of a simple act of kindness.   
  
It took twelve days for Grillby to come out and find the basket empty. He was overjoyed, and left a couple of blankets he'd ordered with that day's basket. They had only just arrived via post, so he wanted to get them to the kids ASAP.   
  
A week or so after that, there was a tiny, hesitant knock on his back door as he was closing for the night.   
  
He opened it to find a small, teary-eyed little girl who could pass for human if not for the crimson-and-gold-feathered wings currently partway extending from her back. She had the younger skeleton boy holding onto the tail of her ratty shirt, with the older one in her arms, seemingly asleep.   
  
He knelt down. "Are you alright?"  
  
"PLEASE HELP..." The tiny skeleton whispered. His pronunciation was quite good for the age he appeared to be. 

 

_"What's wrong?"_

 

_"BROTHER WON'T WAKE. BEEN OUT FOR DAYS NOW."_

 

_Uh-oh. Had the child caught something in the cold?_

 

_"Please, come in and I'll see what I can do."_

 

_The young one pressed closer to the girl as they took trembling, uncertain steps inside, her clutching at the other child._

 

_He led them to the couch, telling the girl to set the skeleton down on the cushions. She did so with clear reluctance, and then perched on the arm of the sofa, pulling the small one up to sit beside her. She then proceeded to stare at him._

 

_He could feel her eyes on him as he dug out some cold medicine and blankets. "May I have your names?" He was hoping simple conversation might make them more comfortable._

 

_After a moment, the small one said, "MY DESIGNATION IS WDG-2 P. MY SISTER'S DESIGNATION  IS WDG-3 F. MY BROTHER'S DESIGNATION IS WDG-1 S."_

 

_Grillby froze. What? That was... Not a normal method of stating your name, to say nothing of the 'names' themselves. He recovered his wits quickly, standing with the blankets he'd been getting from the cupboard and turning back to the sofa._

 

_She (WDG-3 F?) was still watching him._

 

_"I have some cold medicine here. It'll help your brother until I can call a doctor-"_

 

_That, apparently, was the exact wrong thing to say. Those few words set off an absolute panic attack. Grillby's soul was suddenly yanked into a Fight and doused in purple magic, preventing him from moving closer. The girl's eyes and the feathers in her hair were glowing a dark purple._

 

_"What's wrong? I'm not going to hurt you, child! Or your siblings!"_

 

_The girl didn't respond, just sent a barrage of glowing purple feathers down the threads of violet magic, forcing him to hop from thread to thread to avoid them, and stared at him with wild eyes._

 

_"I just want to help, child!"_

 

_She hissed, hunched over the sick skeleton in a very feral fashion, her wings spread behind her._

 

_Grillby checked his act stats. He had no desire to hurt her._

 

_Hmm._

 

_Check_

 

_Hug_

 

_Explain_

 

_Take Medicine_

 

_-Act_

 

_-Explain_

 

_*Grillby explains that he has no desire to harm them, and that a doctor will help. He says that doctors heal people for a living._

 

_*The girl shakes her head._

 

_Frisk eyed the fire man. Something was niggling at the back of her mind. One of those long-lost memories of her time on the surface._

 

_-Act_

 

_-Check_

 

_*Grillby. 10 ATK, 95 HP. An honest man who owns a bar in Snowdin._

 

_Frisk flung another series of feathers at him._

 

_After dodging most of the barrage, Grillby hit Act again._

 

_-Act_

 

_-Check_

 

_*WDG-3 F/Frisk. 4 ATK, 60 HP. A young child with a dark past._

 

_-Act_

 

_-Explain_

 

_*Grillby explains a doctor's job and behavior in more depth, going so far as to describe his most recent visit._

 

_*Frisk seems to calm slightly, as though remembering something._

 

_-Act_

 

_-Take medicine_

 

_*Grillby swallows some cold medicine to prove it's safe._

 

_*Frisk seems much calmer._

 

_-Act_

 

_-Hug_

 

_*Grillby slowly walks up to Frisk, offering a hug. She warily accepts it._

 

_*After a moment, Frisk bursts into tears._

 

_Her name was yellow!_

 

_*Frisk is Sparing Grillby._

 

_Grillby hit Mercy, then Spare, and the battle screen dropped. He still had a small winged human clinging to his hip._

 

_"M'sorry, so sorry..." He heard her whisper, barely audible. So she was capable of speech._

 

_"It'll be okay." Grillby soothed. "You're safe here, child."_

 

_She nodded into his jacket._

 

_"Can you tell me what happened to you?"_

 

_The girl sniffed and nodded slightly, then began to tell her tale. Once it started, a dam seemed to break, and the words came tumbling over one another. A lab, an evil Doctor, she and her brothers in pain and fear, being trained for fighting as weapons... It was all so horrible. She mentioned their escape but wouldn't say how they'd done it, and explained that they'd been living on the streets for almost two months._

 

_He held her and rubbed the part of her back between her wings soothingly while she stammered out her disjointed story, and he got the distinct impression she was hiding a lot of it and skimming most. She showed him the plate drilled into her hand, as well as the ones in her brothers'. She held the smallest of them like a security blanket or a teddy bear, and he dutifully clung to her in return._

 

_She told him that their 'hero' had called her brothers Sans and Papyrus, and that her name used to be Frisk._

 

_Grillby asked if he could call a doctor for Sans._

 

_This time, after taking a shuddering, fearful breath, Frisk agreed._

 

 


End file.
